Basketball coach Tarkanian’s son wins Nevada House primary

by Lisa Hagen - 06/15/16 6:09 AM ET

The son of legendary college basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian is projected to win his Republican Nevada House primary.

Businessman Danny Tarkanian will face synagogue president Jacky Rosen (D) in the general election with Rep. Joe Heck’s (R-Nev.) open House seat on the line.

{mosads}Tarkanian beat back a tough primary challenge from Nevada state Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson. Tarkanian slammed Roberson for supporting Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval’s (R) 2015 tax package, and Roberson attacked Tarkanian over bankruptcy issues.

Tarkanian, who’s run unsuccessfully four times for office, enjoyed higher name ID because of his family. Father Jerry Tarkanian coached the University of Nevada-Las Vegas team for 19 years, winning an NCAA national championship and making the Final Four four times.

Rosen, the establishment favorite in the Democratic race, defeated rival Jesse Sbaih on Tuesday. Rosen outraised him and was endorsed by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and EMILY’s List, which backs female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights.

Sbaih, who is Muslim, made headlines back in March after claiming that Reid urged him to quite the race during a private meeting because “a Muslim cannot win this race.” A Reid spokeswoman denied the claim.

The seat being vacated by Heck, who’s running for the open Nevada Senate seat, is considered a toss-up and prime pick-up opportunity for Democrats. The district was carried by President Obama in 2012 and 2008.

Tags Harry Reid